Aside from hotel lounges, the commercial strip in Woodlawn doesn't offer all that many bar choices.

But Pebbles Pub has been tucked away in a shopping center there for 20 years now, pulling both neighborhood regulars and others who know it's a quick zip off the Beltway. It also has the advantage of being across the street from the Security Square Mall, so after a shopping session or a movie you can pull in for seafood and a brew.

Pebbles Pub is not much on atmosphere, unless you count the small American flags hanging from the drop ceiling or the model car collection installed behind the bar.

For that matter, the bar itself is less than graciously placed behind the restaurant dining rooms at the front. You should be able to find a seat at the spacious bar, though, and you'll also be able to take advantage of reasonable food and drink prices. If you order a bowl of crab soup and a beer, for instance, you'll get change from a five dollar bill. And with the lingering recession, there are times when you'll gladly trade off bar beautiful atmosphere for decent prices.

Service is friendly in the Baltimore-blunt tradition. One of the lady bartenders seemed a tad young to be saying "hon" so much, but hon-sayers have got to start sometime.

Pebbles does not go in for the night-by-night patron lures of a theme bar, but does offer the basics: a buffalo wing-enhanced happy hour to help working stiffs make the mental transition from office to home, and a Tuesday ladies night with $1 off mixed drinks.